In an earlier post, I looked at how the system could hardly be worse for encouraging people to continue learning languages: Disjointed Transition at age 11, Unfair Grading at GCSE, and lack of mainstream language learning post-16. Within each of these stages, teachers and learners do a good job. But the system is designed to stymie them at every turn. It is not a failure of teaching. Good teaching is making the best of an unworkable system.
So what would a working system look like? Wouldn't this be nice:
Primary Languages. Not my area of expertise. But we are told that this is the age where pupils learn languages through hearing and joining in, with songs, chants, routines and stories. Where language can be used throughout the day, integrated with everyday activities and across curriculum subjects. We are going to see a greater definition of the detail of formal learning and progression. Pupils and teachers should be confident that languages are a natural part of life in and out of school. It should be a positive experience of openness and celebration of linguistic diversity.
Secondary Languages. An experience of languages which combines all the facets of language learning: communication, grammar, culture, linguistics, self-expression, transactional language. Accumulating more language and knowledge of language will go hand in hand with a growing ability to use the language with increasing independence, sophistication and accuracy. This will be boosted by international ambition where schools use Erasmus + strategically to make cooperation with schools abroad part of school life. An end to unfair grading at GCSE will be transformative in terms of numbers and in the narrative of our success in language learning. And teachers will be able to tell pupils that if they go to University or take an Apprenticeship, they can look forward to studying and working abroad, whatever their chosen path.
Post-16 Languages. The norm and the expectation will be that people learn languages for pleasure, work and study. The promise and the premise should be that the future (University, work, apprenticeship, life) will mean interaction with the international world. That an outward looking perspective will take you places. A Level languages may continue, or academic study of philology may be delayed until university level. Instead, sixth forms and colleges will offer language learning opportunities at different levels and in different languages to all students.
University. The greater number of students continuing at Sixth Form with language study will see a boost for specialist philology degrees. But Universities will stress to all applicants for every subject, that going to university means entering a global environment, working alongside people from around the world in research that transcends borders. It will be normal to study a language alongside other courses. It will be the expectation that students of all disciplines take advantage of Erasmus to study abroad, not just students studying philology degrees.
Hopefully you agree with some of this or have your own ideas that I have missed. And the point is that this vision is actually very close to what teachers are aiming to achieve within our current broken system. We don't need to change teaching. We need to change the system. The question of course, is how to make it work. I don't have answers but I do have thoughts. Will post them soon...
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